Professor C (camren)

16 - Jauregui (Part 1)

"I said I wanted to be there for you when you...you know..." Dinah genuinely albeit reluctantly expressed, setting her hand on the table in the hopes of Lauren grabbing onto it. "And when you told me about the progress of your annulment, I wanted to be there during hearings but I couldn't get out of my job sooner. I can't imagine what you're going through but I know that it's tough. I wanted you to know how you didn't have to be alone in this. And...I wanted to be there...in case you needed someone."

"I did." Lauren nodded incessantly, hoping to buy time to find her voice. She was choked up and incredibly moved by her friend's gesture but somehow began to pity herself and her situation, which led her to connect her hand with Dinah's. "Thank you again, Dinah. I will never forget this."

"We're friends, Lauren. Don't worry about it." Dinah offered her a brighter grin as her eyes glimmered with her utmost care for Lauren.

Dinah figured that the tension brought about by the annulment was enough stress for one day. They would still have time to dig deeper into Lauren's tumultuous years following the end of her and Camila's relationship, and Dinah decided she wanted the psychologist to have fun for now.

She squeezed Lauren's hand once and retracted hers to grip the menu but immediately put it down, crumpling her face up in her frustrations.

"Do you know what to order? Because I'm so lost. I just want that dumpling you ordered last time and I want to try some other stuff, too."

"I got it." Lauren chuckled, huffing out in relief as she realized she had just averted a possible emotional conversation with Dinah's help. She raised her arm up, flailing it enough to catch the server's attention with several dishes in mind.

Lauren ordered a menagerie of items ranging from rolls, dumplings to noodles with names that Dinah refuses to remember, claiming that she will eventually forget and will definitely jumble everything up. To Lauren's amusement, her friend had managed to shoot several questions at the helpful server, making faces that were a little childish until Dinah suddenly frowned, looking to Lauren for help.

The server suggested to leave their menus to allow Dinah to go over them and promised to return with their food in 15 minutes.

Needless to say, his suggestion was highly appreciated.

Dinah had the best intentions and when she refocused her attention towards the pictures and inscriptions before her, she was giving Lauren breathing space. She spent several minutes cursing the huge disparity between the Japanese and English language but drooled over the corresponding scrumptious images that were next to the names of the dishes.

Dinah was minding her own increasingly tedious business and more interesting topics were practically taunting her with Lauren's slightest movements. She wanted to respect Lauren's right to her privacy and instead of asking questions that were hanging on the tip of her tongue, she absentmindedly flicked through pages.

She had the best intentions; Dinah definitely did. She did not, however, assess her curiosity better. Dinah never once considered how wild and untamable inquisitiveness is and she had underestimated it to a point that mere interest had transformed into being carelessly nosy.

"So, how long was it?" Face ashen, Dinah's horrified eyes made an appearance upon realizing what she had just asked, abruptly closing the thin leather bound book. She shrunk in her seat, thinking of ways to remedy the situation. "I mean...if-if you don't mind...talking about it."

"The annulment? No, I really don't mind. I've been updating you through the whole thing anyway." Lauren reasoned ardently, hoping to appease her mortified friend. She casually reached for the glass of water and took a tiny sip, drenching the suddenly dried up crevice of her mouth. "But, yeah, over a year - one year and over two months to be exact."